1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the preparation of primary, secondary or tertiary alkyl amines from olefins by a process involving the conversion of the olefins to alkyl halides and the amination of the alkyl halides by reaction with an amine having at least one replaceable hydrogen atom. Amine hydrohalides are thus produced which may be converted to amines by reaction with caustic.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The production of amines from olefins by processing including the conversion of the olefins to haloalkane and then reacting the haloalkane with an amine having a replaceable hydrogen atom is known in the prior art. Unfortunately, the prior art process is not suitable for the production of amines with a very high primary alkyl group content unless the starting olefins have a high vinyl purity because internal olefins and vinylidene olefins, common impurities, also undergo the conversions producing amines with branched chain alkyl groups or with the alkyl groups linked to the nitrogen atom via an internal carbon atom of the alkyl group.
As a result, the use of the foregoing process in the prior art has been limited to the use of more costly, less readily available olefins or to the preparation of less desired products of mixed carbon skeletal structures.